change of rules?? leave it the flip alone.

so a few seasons ago we saw the afl buckle under pressure and introduce new rules to the game to try and speed up the gameplay. now there are chorus of concerns that the game is too fast. so the afl is going to react again and introduce new rules primarily affecting the interchange bench. they've come out and said that it's for the players' safety, which to some extent is partly true. however these are soldiers of the game that are conditioned and catered to go into battle week in week out for their club. surely they have the skill and awareness to weather a bone crunching tackle or bump.

over the past two seasons, the use of the interchange bench has dramatically increased. there used to be about 60-80 interchanges a match but that figure has significantly doubled, especially this year. some are saying that 150-170 changes a match is getting out of hand. it's fair to say that it is definitely a high figure but well done to mick malthouse for revolutionising the impact of the bench. his star player, dane swan, has been the most benched player this season and its an indicator as to why he's favourite for the brownlow medal. the reason being that he goes off regularly to recharge his batteries and comes out onto the field and goes hard at EVERY contest for about 4-5 mins before coming back off for a breather. he then does this again and again and it is no wonder he collects high amounts of possessions. imagine if he was restricted to go off only once or twice a quarter. the endurance factor will kick in but this is a sport for entertainment so let the players have some breathing space and provide us with high quality football instead of sloppy and tired passages of play.

allowing the players to come off at their own free will is good for the game. if we were to limit the use of the bench then the coaches will have to take more than match ups and game plans onto their plate. i think coaches already haven enough on their plate. in bomber thompson's case he also fills his plate up with the odd sandwich or lollies (yes, you can laugh.) limiting the usage of the bench to only 80 times a match means the forwards and defenders will not get a break off the ground as often as their midfield team mates. some ague that when the ball is at the other end of the ground then the defenders and forwards get their break there. but i disagree. the players in these departments will have to be mentally switched on when the ball isnt in play. this constant thinking contributes to fatigue. that is why coming off the ground as regular as possible keeps them fresh as they can clear the mind and restart themselves while on the bench.

im clearly not a fan of the interchange cap. let the game go and play its own natural course. coaches are being restricted in their ability to design new tactics and game plans with the new rule changes each year. players coming through the system are more reliant on their running and tackling skills these days. with this they'll need breathers more often. i believe that if they want to cap the interchange bench, then the figure should be at 120 and not 80. this way there's more freedom for the players to come off and we will still get the fast gameplay that has enhanced the game's credibility.